This invention relates to a chair cushion and upholstery assembly and method. It relates particularly to the manufacture and assembly of one and two piece office type chairs having padded and upholstered chair seats and chair backs. A one piece office chair has the padded and upholstered chair seat and the padded and upholstered chair back combined as a single integral unit, and usually enclosed in a molded plastic one piece outer shell. A two piece office chair has the upholstered and padded chair seat and a separate, but connected, padded and upholstered chair back which are usually enclosed in two separate molded plastic support shells.
In the past, office chairs have been manufactured and assembled primarily by hand. The installation of the padding and upholstery material for the chair seat and the chair back was highly labor intensive and required considerable time and skill on the part of the workers to produce chairs of high quality. Some upholstery materials, such as leather or plastics, often required a very highly skilled worker and considerable installation time. The time and skill required in the past to produce a quality and aesthetically pleasing chair added considerably to the cost of the chair to the consumer.